In the NICMAR admission process, maximum weightage is carried by NCAT Exam (150 Marks). It has three sections which are as follows:

Preparation Time: 3 Months 

• Quant: R.S Aggarwal or equivalent aptitude books will be best for this section. Some questions are really easy that can be solved in less than a minute. If you want to maximize your score, practice moderate-level questions of other MBA entrance exams. Be thorough with percentages, allegations and mixtures, ratios, time speed, and distance, and like topics as questions are asked from these topics. 
• Data Interpretations: There are multiple books available for Bank PO Exams in which such sets are available. You can just go through them. It is sort of a puzzle so you will have fun doing it.
• Verbal and GK: Reading Comprehension is very easy. Just practice a few comprehension available in any competitive exam book. This section also tests your vocabulary as synonyms and antonyms questions will be based on your vocabulary. GK questions are really easy and you’d have read them somewhere even if you are not a news freak. To sum up, if you read the newspaper daily and practice a few comprehensions, synonym antonym, grammar questions, you are more than ready for this section.

In NCAT, speed matters the most. You should solve the easy questions first. Do not waste your time if you are finding any questions tough. Just move on. Most importantly, you should improve your grade in UG. Participate in competitions and earn certification. Nothing much can be done as what you have done earlier matters here.

During the personal interview, brush up on your basics of civil engineering (concrete and building material especially). The basic HR questions will be asked like why do you want to join NICMAR, what are your long-term goals etc. They also test your speaking skills by giving you a topic to speak on. So, you can also practice it as it will be good for you in the longer run. 

No, it is not mandatory to stay at the hostel in your 1st year. You can leave the hostel at any point if you feel the requirement. However, it is best if you stay there because it can help you in the upcoming exams. It can assist in saving up your travel time.

You can also acquire a lot of assistance from the people staying at the hostel, besides you. The major pitfall is usually felt by students who live outside the hostel premises as it can be difficult to run back and forth between your residence and the campus.

I have a few friends from NICMAR Pune and they shared information about some of their favorite eateries near the institute.

North Indian Food-

• Great Punjab, Baner – This is a really good place when you are craving some North Indian food with a good amount of spices.
• Rangla Punjab, Pashan-sus Road –This is a traditional Dhaba with an open-air seating arrangement with khatiya and table and chairs.
• Farmville, Pashan-sus road -This is located on a hillock with an amazing view of the whole of Baner. They serve vegetarian food and it is a must-try because of the seating arrangement which is tiny cottages. The portions are satisfactory with reasonable pricing and it is the perfect value for money.

Street Food-

• Momos, near Big Bazaar banner- There is a guy that serves hot, steamed momos with a huge dollop of mayonnaise and a red sauce.
• Pani Puri, opposite Mast Kalandar, Baner- Lip-smacking Pani puri and chat is served here that is also quite affordable.
• Chocolate sandwiches- this place is located somewhere near Shivajinagar. Here, you can get more than 50 varieties of sandwiches.

If you wish to eat South Indian food, you can go to Andhra mess, Maa Mess, Ana’s Dosa Centre, A1 biryani, Hyderabad House, or Hyderabad spice. If you wish to have a South Indian breakfast or a mini-meal, you can go to Vaishali restaurant. If you wish to have Rajasthani food you can go to a place near college which serves very good Dal Bhaati.

NICMAR does not give 100% placement. You can confirm this from any of the graduates from the institute.

• At NICMAR, for a PG in the quantum survey program at Hyderabad, you will get a package of 4 lakhs minimum. For ACM and other two years program packages, it will reach around 4.5 to 6.5 lakhs per annum.
• Various companies like Asian paints, Hilti pay around 12 to 14 lakhs per annum along with Skoda but it is only for business development profile. As per the information above, you can get a minimum package of 4 lakhs if you are a fresher with an average academic record.
• Therefore, if you have not taken out a large loan and you feel that with a bit of savings and a package of 4 lakh you will be able to pay off the loan, then go for it. But if you belong to a middle-class family and plan to take a loan of 14 to 16 lakhs then this will not be a wise move for you.
• The situation of the industry is not good at all. L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji, and some other companies are the only ones that pay the salary on time. Various companies like simplex, HCC have a 1 to 3-month delay in paying salaries to their employees. A lot of graduates tend to start from site execution as Assistant project managers but the work pressure is too much for them and they give up after 1 to 1.5 years.
• From the current CTC, the hike is not that much and somewhere around 12 to 15%. There are various engineers from NICMAR with 10 to 12 years of experience who are still working with an 80,000 salary in a construction company as AGM/ GM. A lot of graduates also join corporate interior companies with a package that is even lower than the construction company.

So, it won’t be wise to opt for a two-year ACM or any other program if you belong to a middle-class family and plan on taking a loan. You can rather go for a PGP quantity survey which is for one year or you can study hard for CAT and opt for MBA from a level 1 B-school where you will be paid well and will have strong career growth.

NICMAR, RICS, SCMHRD, and XIMB all of these are reputed management institutes in India. NICMAR conducts NCAT and SCMHRAD conducts SNAP to take admission. Whereas, XIMB and RICS select students based on their performance in CAT/XAT/GMAT, etc.

Rankings:

• NICMAR is ranked 1st amongst the top colleges in ASIA.

• RICS, Amity University is one of the six Indian institutes which have made it to QS Asian University Rankings.

• SCMHRD is ranked 4th state wise and city wise in 2020 by the Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF).

• XIMB, Xavier University Bhubaneswar has been ranked 10th amongst All India Private B-School by IT-MDRA B-School Ranking 2019.

Placements:

Highlights of the placements at the institutes are as follows.

Top Recruiters:

• NICMAR: Adventz Group, Rabico Engg. & Construction, Reliance Industries Ltd, AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd, Synergy group, etc.

• RICS: Turner & Townsend, AECOM, Rider Levett Bucknall, Formulaic Engineers Pvt. Ltd, GMR, and many more.

• SCMHRD IM: Deloitte, Cognizant, Amazon, Vodafone, Kotak Life, Google, IBM, Cipla, Godrej, and many more.

• XIMB XUB: Tractebel GKW GmbH, Recity Network Pvt. Ltd., Convexicon Software SolutionsIndia Pvt. Ltd., CURE, etc.

Facilities:

NICMAR:

• It has a library with a rich collection of more than 23000 thesis, 2300+ volumes, 495 teaching notes, 13 e-resources, and 75 printed periodicals.

• Other facilities like hostels, 24x7 wifi connections for computer labs and classrooms, auditorium, 3 conference halls, and outdoor sports facilities are offered.

RICS:

• The institute has more than 100 faculty members and 1000+ students studying on the campus.

• Classrooms with new-age teaching tools, computer labs, a library with 2 lakh+ books, periodicals, references to international and national journals, food courts, and cafeteria are the facilities offered by the institute.

SCMHRD:

• Scholarships are offered only to students of MBA who top the first semester A total of 50% tuition fee waiver is covered by the scholarship.

• The institute has a health center with specialized doctors, a yoga center and gymnasium, hostels, a library with a huge collection of more than 2000 audio and video files, 24000 books, and periodicals.

XIMB UGB:

• Library, residential facility, medical help, sports, fitness facility, and professional audio-video studios are the facilities offered.

NICMAR, RICS, SCMHRD, and XIMB all these colleges are highly reputed and have nailed down their efficiency in terms of education, placements as well as all the factors required for the development of the student’s academics and career.

One of my friends has studied at NICMAR and here are his views. These might answer your question, but it is suggested that you do your part of the research too.

• In simple terms, the candidate gets to learn the technical aspects of construction in engineering. 
• In NICMAR, the candidate gets to learn the managerial aspect of construction.
• The candidate would not feel that the subject is too complicated even if they are fresher. 
• But the candidate might understand the same concept better if they had any prior experience in the same field.
• He should not worry if they are fresher as more than 70% of the student batch are mostly fresher. 

The candidate will get placed in a good construction firm eventually. It is important to concentrate on learning.

NICMAR is a renowned institute for PGP construction and other allied industries, equivalent to MBA in construction management.

The institute offers various facilities like a library, internet, hostels for boys and girls, and a well-established infrastructure. 

There are four hostels by the institute. Boy’s hostels with a single room occupancy of 1100+ boys, and girl’s hostels have 194 rooms in shared occupancy.

The hostel rooms in NICMAR are allotted based on the merit lists. So, nothing is in your hands. However, it is always better to pay an advance fee. You might get an edge over the candidates with overlapping scores like yours.